Gear Guide 2018: Ski Test Highlight Gallery

This was our second consecutive test at Deer Valley, Utah, where the Green Coats groom by night with fine-tooth combs and paintbrushes made from unicorn hair, and the Empire Canyon Grill’s truffle oil flows like wine. Pow stashes truly last for days here, despite our cadre’s crushing assaults on the Daly Chutes and Lady Morgan trees, and the Empire Canyon zone gives us access to every terrain type on each run. Thank you, Deer Valley, for helping to make the magic happen once again.

Matt Schiller charges into the X-Files, Deer Valley Resort, Utah.

From left: Robin Barnes, Mike Rogan, Megan Brent and Marina Knight share a laugh at the top of Supreme, Deer Valley Resort, Utah

Mike Rogan, Stein’s Way, Deer Valley Resort, Utah

Mike Rogan lays down some trenches on Stein’s Way, Deer Valley Resort, Utah

Mark Elling and Luke Larsen score skis on the Empire Express.

Mark Elling and Luke Larsen score skis and keep their phones juiced with GoalZero on the Empire Express.

New app name?

This year we used an app designed by Centric Software to accumulate ski scores rather than pencils and paper, and hats from Chaos to look cool.

Mark Elling tests a pair of Salomon skis.

Mark Elling could really see where to turn thanks to Uvex Goggles

Marina Knight suiting up with Darn Tough socks.

Marina Knight suiting up with Darn Tough socks.

Tim Dyer chats with Mike Britt while his bindings get adjusted.

Tim Dyer chats with Mike Britt while his bindings get adjusted.

Tim Dyer

So many turns, so many skis, so much fun. Tim Dyer finds the goods.

Tech Nate Miller (check last name)

Tech Nate Miller finds that Hestra Gloves are so dexterous, he also ate sushi with chopsticks while still wearing them.

So many great skis to test…

Which one is the pick of the litter?

Kristi Brown Lovell on Stein’s Way

Kristi Brown Lovell pushing those groomer skis hard on Stein’s Way

Kim Beekman in the Domingo glades

Kim Beekman in the Domingo glades, wondering where the Upslope beer is hidden.

Luke Larsen, Daly Bowl

Luke Larsen finding some untouched snow in the Daly Bowl

Snacks on snacks on snacks from Upslope and Untapped

Snacks on snacks on snacks from Upslope, Stanley, and Untapped

The women celebrate International Women’s Day with a can of Infinite Monkey wine at the summit of Empire Canyon, followed by a group shred down Orion.

The women celebrate International Women’s Day with a can of Infinite Monkey Theorem wine at the summit of Empire Canyon, followed by a group shred down Orion.

Megan Brent, Empire Canyon

Megan Brent showing off her Swix poles in Empire Canyon

The ladies debrief at the Montage Deer Valley.

The ladies debrief over cans of Infinite Monkey Theorem Wine at the Montage Deer Valley.

Mike Britt in the Daly Chutes

Thanks to Helly Hanson, Mike Britt was easily seen in the Daly Chutes

Matt Schiller takes a break to recharge between skis.

Matt Schiller takes a break to recharge between skis.

Matt Schiller on Supreme

Matt Schiller testing the turn radius of some hard snow skis on Supreme

Luke Larsen and Mark Elling plan their lines in the Daly Chutes.

Luke Larsen and Mark Elling plan their lines in the Daly Chutes.

Lynn Kennen

Lynn Kennen finds the perfect binding setting before testing another pair.

Mike Britt in the Daly Chutes.

Mike Britt demonstrating proper form in the Daly Chutes.

Stephanie Humes and Georgie Bremner on the Empire Express

Stephanie Humes and Georgie Bremner working hard rating skis on the Empire Express

Kim Beekman squeezes into Mike Britt’s Helly Hansen Ullr Powder Suit

Kim Beekman squeezes into Mike Britt’s Helly Hansen Ullr Powder Suit

The test team celebrates the completion of their final day of testing.

The test team celebrates the completion of their final day of testing.

To Our Sponsors: A HEARTY THANKS FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS. FIST BUMPS ALL AROUND.

• CHAOS
• Fun and funky hats
• DAKINE
• Backpacks to haul it all
• DARN TOUGH
• Toasty warm socks
• GOAL ZERO
• Keeping our gadgets charged
• HELLY HANSEN
• Outerwear pretty enough for pictures
• HESTRA
• Warmest gloves out there
• THE INFINITE MONKEY THEOREM
• Grapes of the fermented variety
• PRET HELMETS
• Helmeting our noggins
• SKIDA
• Stylie neckwear
• STANLEY
• Waterbottles to keep us hydrated
• SWIX
• Poles, Norwegian style
• UNDER ARMOUR
• Just what we like next to our skin
• UNTAPPED
• Sugaring testers up with maple waffles
• UPSLOPE
• Where the beer’s at
• UVEX
• Perfecting our goggle tans

Phoning It In

There’s little that we editors like more than taking notes and writing about stuff. It’s what we do. This year we moved that process for our ski test onto our cell phones, working with our testers and software guru Centric to customize a cutting-edge PLM phone app to use in the fi eld when hammering skis. There were plenty of kinks: gloved fingers, cold phones, heart-pounding close calls of dropping our phones from lifts into the abyss below. But we got what we wanted: real data captured in real time, with thousands of comments from nearly two dozen opinionated testers. Through it all we learned one key lesson: Next time, invest in a waterproof phone case. Duh.